What It Takes To Live
by SunlightOnTheWater
Summary: The war is over but for those who have fought all their life what it takes to live is much harder than what it takes to fight and die. post Aggressive Negotiations and Revenge.
1. Presenting

Author's Note: What It Takes To Live is an everyday fic that takes place after Aggressive Negotiations and Revenge. It will be updated once a week so expect the next update next Thursday or Friday. Enjoy and I own nothing but my OCs

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><p><strong>What It Takes To Live- Presenting...<strong>

_"My theory is that if you look confidant you can pull off anything-even if you have no clue what you're doing"-Jessica Alba_

Alejandra Castaneda ran a hand through her hair once more and took a deep breath until she stepped in front of the green screen to give her presentation. When the camera man signaled that they were good to go she flashed a brilliant smile and began. "Hello everyone. My name is Alejandra Castaneda and I am the public liaison of a new project known as NEST. NEST stands for Networked Elements Supporters and Transformers. It is a diverse branch of the military specially designed to allow us to work with the Autobots and Decepticons. Both factions are not from our planet but rather came fleeing the destruction of their own. They fight by our side and live among us. More information will come at a later date." Ale managed another wide grin before the camera man motioned for them to cut to another story.

She breathed out in a sigh and walked out of the news office to see John Keller standing in the hall waiting for her. "John. I didn't expect to see you here," she said with a smile, walking over to him. John Keller was one of the few men in politics that Ale actually respected.

"How did it go?" Keller asked as they walked down the hall together.

"Well enough," Ale said. "For slinging a bunch of crap together at the last minute it went excellent." Keller laughed at that and Ale grinned.

"Unfortunately I'm here to add to your work load," he told her. "The government thinks people will adjust to the idea of giant alien robots better if they actually see them."

"Oh no," Ale moaned. "Please tell me you're joking."

"Unfortunately no," Keller said. "It's not as bad as you think though. You aren't going on tour or anything. We are however bringing foreign diplomats to Diego Garcia." Ale just sighed and shook her head, dark hair swishing.

"Thank you for the warning," she said as she slipped out the door he held open for her. "And it was nice talking to you John." Then she slipped into the waiting government car that would take her to the airport. Now only three hours till she would be back on Diego Garcia.

"Ratchet we may have a problem." A week ago that sentence would have signaled wounded from an attack of rogue Decepticons but now, long after the rogues were dead, the medic wasn't sure what to expect. Arcee looked as if she was struggling to hold back laughter as she stood in the doorway of the med bay. "Sides and Sunny were arguing with Skids and Mudflap. Neither of the twins were aware that Jolt had set up a trip wire with the help of Skywarp. They're a little tangled up." A giggle escaped her as she looked at the livid medic.

"What?" Ratchet asked in a deadly voice but Arcee knew he hadn't misheard her.

"They need a little help," she said with another snicker that caused Nova to glance up at the older femme and giggle as well.

"They're going to need help getting put back together when I'm finished with them," Ratchet snarled, stalking past Arcee. "Watch Nova." With that said he was gone to help, and yell at, both sets of twins. Arcee giggled once more and then turned her attention to Nova.

"What'cha doing?" she asked the pale blue and silver sparkling. Nova shrugged, an odd motion coming from someone as young as her, and smiled. Arcee walked over and saw the small fingers manipulate a crayon in an attempt to color a part of the paper blue. It wasn't working very well but Nova was a tenacious sparkling and wasn't about to give in easily. It took a couple minutes but the young femme finally put crayon to the paper and manage to get a few blue scribbles across it. There was the sound of footsteps and then someone paused at the doorway.

Nova looked up and cried, "Momma!" Her blue optics sparkled with delight as she scrambled clumsily to her feet and darted over to grab onto Shadow's leg. The black femme lifted her sparkling up with a laugh and Nova waved the picture in her face. "Look Momma," she said and held perfectly still while Shadow surveyed the drawing.

"Very pretty," Shadow said seriously and Nova chirped delightedly. "Hello Arcee," the black femme added, smiling at the pink one.

"Hello Shadow," Arcee replied with a smile. "Ratchet went to untangle the twins and left me to watch Nova."

"Which set?" Shadow asked as Nova wiggled in her arms.

"Both," Arcee said and Shadow turned disbelieving red optics on her friend.

"What do you mean both?" she asked.

"Exactly what I said," Arcee told Shadow with a wide grin. "They were so busy arguing that they didn't notice the trip wire Jolt and Skywarp set up and somehow they got tangled up." Shadow snickered and Nova giggled at her mother's laugh.

"They're gonna need a medic when he's done with them," Shadow said and Arcee nodded. There came a chirp from the other room and Shadow put Nova down, leaving the young femme with the very capable Arcee.

She entered the next room and blue optics looked up at her. Sunstorm chirped again and held out dark blue arms tinged with gold for his femme creator to pick him up. Shadow obliged with a smile and re-entered the other room. Arcee smiled at the scene the two made; the dark Decepticon warrior and the small, helpless youngling that was cradled in her arms.

Optimus Prime was in the main hanger when Ale arrived. She looked tired but satisfied by the results of the news cast she had left to present and Will caught her to talk to her by the door. Ratchet had stalked by the Autobot leader almost an hour earlier muttering about stupid twins and Optimus felt it prudent to check on the situation before it went any farther south than it already had. He made his way out into the warm autumn sunshine towards the proving grounds where he guessed Sideswipe and Sunstreaker would have been. There he was met by a sight so absurd he had to fight back laughter.

Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Mudflap, and Skids were completely and utterly tangled up. Someone it seemed had lay a rope down to act as a trip wire and it had somehow ended up twisted around both sets of twins. Ratchet was delicately working on cutting the rope without cutting any of the twins' major energon lines. He was also snarling and cursing under his breath so loudly that Optimus thought it prudent not to get involved. He already could guess the culprit of this particular prank. Skywarp, and probably Jolt. The Autobot leader shook his head with a grin and turned to go back the way he came. All in all just another morning on Diego Garcia.


	2. Drag Racing and Diplomats

Author's Note: Thanks to _Riptide2_ and _I am Blueberry_ for reviewing the last chapter! Enjoy and I own nothing but my OCs

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><p><strong>What It Takes To Live-Drag Racing and Diplomats<strong>

_"You don't look a day over fast cars and freedom. That sunset riverbank first time feeling"-Fast Cars and Freedom, Rascal Flatts_

It was common knowledge at Diego Garcia that Sideswipe and Sunstreaker simply did not know how to behave. They also had an obsession with speed. That was why it surprised no one when they decided to attempt drag racing on the same day a couple foreign diplomats were supposed to tour Diego Garcia. The result, not surprisingly, was a veritable nightmare. It all started out well. The diplomats arrived along with Keller who was here to help Ale smooth things over. They were making their way across the base when Laura Woodson hurried over.

Laura was twenty-one, Ale's personal assistant, and shouldn't have been in politics. She had long blonde hair and a curvy body and could have easily been a model. Instead she was helping Ale on Diego Garcia. "Excuse me for a moment," Laura said, taking my arm and pulling me to one side with a brilliant smile. "You might not want to go to the proving grounds," she told me in a softer tone. "We have a small situation."

"What is it exactly?" I asked her.

"Sideswipe and Sunstreaker," she said with a wince. "They decided to try drag racing. They crashed into a pine tree and are grumbling. Ratchet is swearing and Optimus is trying to keep him from murdering the twins."

"Oh," Ale said, her eyes widening.

"Exactly," Laura said. "You probably want to stay away from there."

"Got it. Thanks Laura," Ale said and the model perfect girl nodding before hurrying away with a wide smile.

Ratchet was indeed swearing as he worked on fixing up the twins. "Just calm down Ratchet," Optimus said for about the twentieth time in the last five minutes. Ratchet ignored his leader just like he had every other time Optimus had said this.

"Why do you idiotic glitch heads have to do something incredibly stupid every time someone important is here?" Ratchet asked, exasperated.

"It wasn't that bad Ratch," Sunstreaker protested, not even daring to complain about the scratches on his paint. "It was just a palm tree. Besides it could have been worse."

"_How_ could it have been worse?" Ratchet snarled and Optimus shot the twins a look that said tread carefully.

"We could have slammed into Ironhide instead of a tree," Sideswipe admitted sheepishly. At that the medic froze.

"Come again?" he asked and the twins exchanged nervous glances.

"We could have run into Ironhide," Sunstreaker said tentatively.

"You're right," Ratchet admitted after a moment. "It could have been worse." The twins exchanged stunned glances but remained silent as the grouchy medic went back to working on them. They were all surprised when they head delicate laughter behind them. They all turned to see a slim woman with a wave of brown hair dressed in a peach colored sundress. She was standing next to Ale and John Keller was standing behind the two women shaking his head.

"Allow me to introduce the French Ambassador to the United States, Madame Lorraine Mercier," Ale said, motioning to the woman.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," the French woman said. "It is good to know that Ale is still a good judge of character."

"A pleasure to meet you as well," Ratchet said before turning back to work on the twins again. They all stayed completely silent though until Lorrain Mercier and Ale were out of sight.

"Well," Optimus said finally. "That went well."

"I have to trust Ale when dealing with the French," Keller said with a sigh. "She suggested that Ms Mercier would not react badly to this and so I went along with it." Ratchet finished making the last adjustments to the twins and stood.

"How much are you telling them?" he asked.

"As little as possible for now," Keller admitted. "We don't want to shock them or cause them to run screaming from here."

"That's probably a good idea," Optimus said and Keller nodded, turning to look at Laura.

"You might want to catch up with the others before they leave without you," Laura informed him with a smile. Keller nodded.

"Nice to see you all again," he said before following her away. And so another day slid by in peace and relative tranquility on Diego Garcia.


	3. Politics

Author's Note: And yes you all get your update early this week because I had sudden inspiration. Thanks to _Riptide2_ (no kidding!) and _I am Blueberry_ for reviewing the last chapter! Enjoy and I own nothing but my OCs

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><p><strong>What It Takes To Live-Politics<strong>

_"A politician will do anything to keep his job-even become a patriot"-William Randolph_

One thing none of the Cybertronians would ever understand was politics. With elections coming up in the next year Ale was busier than ever. She sat through hours of debates and was most likely found on her computer researching some person or other. The best way to get ahold of her was through Laura. That was when the news came that Keller was running for president. He and another man by the name Andrew Carson were the only ones who supported the Cybertronians remaining on Earth. That was when Optimus called a meeting. "What exactly is going on?" he asked Ale.

"Politics," she said with a heavy sigh. "You've been revealed to the world. Naturally the politicians are mostly opposed to the idea of you being here. That and the fact that they're angry they were deceived."

"So what exactly can we do?" Ratchet asked.

"Nothing," she said flatly. "I need to make a statement this week and the week after that is the next debate. What I need is quiet."

"Which means you four idiots need to stay out of trouble," Laura informed Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Mudflap, and Skids. All four of them instantly adopted "Who me?" expressions which fooled no one.

"We have a few more recruits coming to the island later this week," Major Lennox said, taking advantage of the temporary silence to speak. "So no pranks from anyone." His eyes fixed on Jetfire and both sets of twins who were the only trouble makers currently in the meeting.

"Sam returns to college in a week," Bumblebee said. "We'll be leave in two days so he can get everything settled. Mikaela's college doesn't restart until the week after."

"Would it perhaps be a good idea to assign Mikaela a guardian?" Ale piped up. "Just in case more enemies show up."

"I'm not sure," Optimus said. "She seems to be able to take care of herself."

"If I may put in my opinion I believe it would be a good idea," Starscream said. "Mikaela may be able to take care of herself but she's almost always around Sam and trouble seems to follow him everywhere."

"I'll speak to her about it," Optimus said after a moment's consideration.

"One more thing before we close this meeting," Starscream said. "We have a few more of ours coming soon. It may not be for a couple days but we'll have a couple new arrivals."

"Thanks for the warning in advance," Lennox said and the meeting dissolved, each group heading their own way. Nothing remarkable happened then until the political debate that night. Somehow they all ended up in front of the TV watching it, Ale and Laura taking close notes. It was a Democratic debate so Keller was not on but Andrew Carson was. The night ended with Ratchet annoyed at the TV and the twins randomly whispering phrases from the debate for the next day until the angry medic threatened them with being used for spare parts if they didn't stop.

That evening they were all watching TV but for a different reason. Ale was making her statement tonight on public television in a hope to maneuver the candidates into admitting they were wrong. "Good evening everyone," Ale said smoothly, looking sharp in a grey dress with a white flower bright in her dark hair. "Some people from their respective parties have expressed excess concern about the presence of Cybertronians on Diego Garcia and working with our troops. I am here tonight in an attempt to answer all the questions they have posed so far." She paused for a moment and her eyes drilled into the camera with a bright intensity. "I cannot reassure everyone because someone will always poke holes in what I say so I won't try."

"They are not here to take over and this is not the beginning of some massive invasion. Their war which has gone on for years has ruined their planet and they have taken refuge here. Like every other refugee that comes to our shores should we not offer them our hospitality? They want nothing more than a peaceful existence and in that way they are not that much different than us. Yes there is the obvious size difference but we all know about size problems. After all a woman from Indiana grew to be seven feet tall and would have been taller had she not had an operation to stop her growth. Abe Lincoln was considered amazingly tall for his time and there have been others. We have proven time and time again that we don't judge people on their height."

"They have friendships like we do and families. They hurt and love and care just like any one of us. I am asking you to put your judgments aside and just listen for a moment. There is no hostility towards us despite the incredibly stupid things we tend to do on a regular basis. For example my niece asked me just a week ago if she could jump off the roof of my sister's house with trash bags as parachutes. If we can consider doing something as foolish as that a twelve why can't we at thirty and forty give the Cybertronians a chance instead of following our judgments. Thank you and enjoy and the remainder of your evening." With that said the camera turned back to the news room and a temporarily stunned silent news anchor.

When Ale returned to Diego Garcia early the next morning she was surprised to be greeted by applause. "We thank you for everything you've done for us," Optimus said.

"My pleasure," she said with a smile. "I just hope it worked."

"If it didn't put doubts in every single person who listened then you were talking to a brick wall," Lennox told her with a grin and she laughed.

"Or one set of the twins," she quipped.

"Hey!" both Sideswipe and Sunstreaker said. It took Mudflap and Skids a moment longer to even realize they were being insulted.

"That's not nice!" Mudflap said finally.

"Yeah. We be plenty smarter than da brick wall," Skids added indignantly. Everyone was laughing too hard by then to respond to them.

"I have to thank you Ale," John Keller said. "You set me up wonderfully for the next debate. That's the subject they'll want to open with and it'll give me some things to remember to say. If I play it right I can add to the thinking of the American population."

"You're starting to sound like a politician," Epps said and Keller laughed.

"You can take the man from the capital but you can't take the capital from the man," the Secretary of Defense said before boarding the plane Ale had just abandoned to head back to the mainland.

As everyone headed off elsewhere Ale informed Optimus and Ratchet, "You don't have to understand Earth politics, or even American politics for that matter. That's my job." With that she head off to find Laura again and get an update on what was going on.


	4. Fliers

Author's Note: Thanks to _I am Blueberry_ and _Riptide2_ (I know right!) for reviewing the last chapter! Enjoy and I own nothing but my OCs. Tune in next week to read Chapter Five; If You Give A Crab A Machine Gun

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><p><strong>What It Takes To Live- Fliers<strong>

_"Granny: Sweet tea and cookies! We have to do something!_

_Wolf: I know. The song was catchy but the choreography was terrible"-Hoodwinked_

One thing Diego Garcia now had in abundance were fliers. The majority were Decepticons but two of them were Autobots. The plus side was that Diego Garcia had its own personal air force. On the other hand Seekers weren't known for their mental stability. Skydive and Fireflight were the only Autobot aerials and they were still young. The horrors of war had left them vastly untouched. Interra and Nieva had been hurt deeply by the loss of their sister, trine member, and triplet. Tavianna had been close them so every once in a while they would slip into a period of melancholy. Still Reverb kept Nieva plenty busy now and Interra helped when she could.

Shadow and her brothers had also escaped the war mostly unscathed; physically. Mentally there was hidden trauma. The Decepticon ranks had not been a safe place to raise younglings All four of them had seen many of their comrades and, in Shadow's case her mentor, killed in a brutal showing of Megatron's temper. Still they had came out of it well enough. Blackout as well had come out physically unscatched but he still carried the guilt of those who he had killed. Even though he wasn't a true Seeker he was accepted as if he was one and part of their small, aerial gathering.

Jetfire had come out well enough considering who his mech creator was. Ramjet's betrayal and Sunstorm's death had hit him hard but Jolt stuck with his new friend through all the ups and downs as did Skysong, who had already been Jetfire's friend before the war had pulled them apart and now she was also soon to be Jolt's sparkmate. Starscream of course was Starscream which the Decepticons claimed explained a great deal. The Autobots were beginning to realize that it was true. Starscream was nothing if not sarcastic and a little bit quirky. After observing some of the chaos that consisted of the Decepticon lifestyle none of them were too surprised about that. They were slightly surprised that Starscream was in a category all to himself but they accepted it.

That left Thundercracker and Skywarp to be accounted for. Thundercracker was also an enomaly. He had escaped war fine mentally and holding only a little physical damage. His twin, on the other hand, was another story. Skywarp may have lost his sparkmate but he hadn't lost his ability to prank people. He was also proving time and time again that he had no sense of self preservation. As TC had so eloquently put it once, "Skywarp just likes explosion and chaos. That's why he has problems with peace. No explosions and not enough trouble." Unfortunately that meant Skywarp created chaos.

The Autobots were shown the true nature of Skywarp's self preservation one sunny afternoon just hours before Keller's next debate. Shadow, Chromia, and Arcee had been talking after a run on the proving grounds and Elita had just joined them. Optimus and Ironhide were currently running the track now while Ratchet was keeping a close watch on them.

BOOM.

Everyone in the vicinity winced. "What the frag was that?" Chromia asked, climbing up from the ground. She had dove down the instant the massive blast had rang out, war instincts still fully intact. That was when the sound of a machine gun rang out and they saw a tree go down.

"Scorponok," Shadow said, an odd look on her face. Then they heard a sound between a cackle of laughter and a yelp. "And Skywarp," she added as an afterthought. Starscream who had come over to see what was going on groaned.

"BLACKOUT," he yelled before taking off into the air. Shadow followed him while the Autobots followed on the ground. What they saw made left them torn between sympathy and hysterical laughter. Skywarp was currently trying to avoid getting speared by a furious, pink Scorponok.

Blackout took one look at the pair and moaned, "Oh slag no."

"Unfortunately yes," Thundercracker responded, sounding like he was trying not to laugh. "Just get him calmed down."

Blackout sighed and ducked into the fray. If there was one thing you could say about Decepticons it was that they weren't cowards when it came to confronting their own. In a matter of minutes Scorponok was subdued and being taken back to Decepticon base to get neon pink paint off of his body. Skywarp was being dragged to the infirmary by a curse spitting Flashfire. It seemed that medics everywhere were all the same.

Now that the entertainment was gone the crowd scattered back to where they were before but the rumor flew like wildfire. Before the end of the day everyone knew what Skywarp had done to Scorponok. Similarly everyone knew what the scorpion mimic had attempted to do to Skywarp for revenge. It was the most exciting event all week.


	5. If You Give A Crab A Machine Gun

Author's Note: I apologize now for a short chapter but I hope to have another one done in the next day or so with the basis of possibly an actual plot. For now I just hope you'll enjoy the insanity that will follow in this chapter. Thanks to _Riptide2_ (no kidding!) and _I am Blueberry_ for reviewing the last chapter! I own nothing but my OCs

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><p><strong>What It Takes To Live- If You Give A Crab A Machine Gun<strong>

_"A computer once beat me in chess but it was no match for me at kickboxing"_

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were bored and there happened to be crabs around. That was what started everything. That and a question. It ended in disaster.

"If you give a crab a machine gun does it make the crab an artillery weapon?" Sideswipe asked.

"No," Sunstreaker said in a duh voice.

"Why not?" Sideswipe said. "Scorponok has machine guns."

"He isn't artillery though," Sunstreaker argued.

"How would you know?" Sideswipe replied. "I thought he was." That was when Skywarp could take it no more and fell out of the sky laughing.

"And they say I'm the idiot," he snickered, not realize that baiting the already annoyed "twins from the Pit" was not a good idea. Sunstreaker lunged for the irritating flier with a growl. Skywarp let out a startled squeak and warped a good fifteen feet away, instantly taking to the air. The brief respite from their argument had not calmed down either twin however. Both went back to patrolling, shooting angry glares at each other. Skywarp meanwhile reported what he had heard to Thundercracker.

Since Thundercracker knew and kept an open bond with his spark mate Nieva knew too which naturally meant that Interra and Nightfury were aware of the stupidity as well. That in turn allowed the rest the Decepticon Seekers to find out. Naturally the story spread quickly from that moment on. Meanwhile Sideswipe and Sunstreaker had decided to find a slightly unconventional answer to their question. They attached a machine gun to a crab.

Naturally they decided the gun had to fire and that was the entire problem with their plan. The first mech the rather irate armed crab came to happened to be Jazz. His yell of surprise when a crab suddenly started firing bullets at him had the twins cackling from their hiding place. It was when the crab started firing at Optimus Prime that everything went south.

Since the story of Sideswipe and Sunstreaker's argument had been spread around the base Ironhide knew exactly who to go looking for when his leader ended up in the med bay. Unfortunately he was not the first one to find the twins. Flashfire's irate voice could be heard for miles around and the twins' protests were nothing but stutters in the face of her wrath. Evidentially Optimus was not the only leader who had run into a gun totting crab before the creature had run out of ammo. A smirking weapons specialist had left the twins to their fate. After all the pranks they had pulled recently they deserved whatever they got.

The final tally was crab: 3, Flashfire: 2, and Twins: -5 and a good long stay in the brig. Nothing out of the ordinary. Well except for the crab.


	6. Tempting Idea

Author's Note: Sorry for not updating sooner! I had planned to update earlier this week but life got in the way. Thanks to _Riptide2_ (comedy hour is right!) for reviewing the last chapter! Enjoy and I own nothing but my OCs

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><p><strong>What It Takes To Live-Tempting Idea<strong>

_"Standing in the middle of the road is dangerous; you get knocked down by traffic from both sides."-Margaret Thatcher_

It all started out as another chaotically typical day on Diego Garcia. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were at the proving grounds with Ironhide trying valiantly to stay out of trouble. Skids and Mudflap, the other set of troublesome twins, were in the med bay because they hadn't realized sitting in the middle of the road was a good way to get hit. Will Lennox had just calmed down the angry truck driver who had hit them and sent the man home and Ale was holed up somewhere with Laura looking over possible political problems. That left Starscream wandering lazily through the air outside, not really interested in anything in particular.

His processor whirled with old memories of Cybertron before the war when he and his trine mates had been able to fly aimlessly around and simply enjoy the day. Today in a time of peace those memories brought up an all too tempting idea. Cybertron had been around for thousands of years before this planet and probably exist for thousands of years after it. Who was to say then that they couldn't return and rebuild their home?

Despite the brief hope Starscream never allowed himself to believe that this idea would be accepted. The Autobots had human friends and allies. They would never want to leave what they had found to return to the wreck that their war had made of their planet. No, it was best not to mention these things.

What Starscream did not know was that Optimus Prime was also considering the same thing. It was true that they had not completely destroyed all of Cybertron's resources and there was the possibility of making it everything that it had been. It was also true that they had the technology to return and visit or aid their human allies if they were in need. Still the Autobot leader knew Sam and Mikaela would be adverse to idea and the Decepticons had given no sign of how they felt one way or another. The difference between Starscream's musings and Optimus Prime's however was the fact that the Autobot leader's thoughts had purpose. That was why while Starscream pushed the thought away Optimus went to find Ale.

The diplomat in charge of human-Cybertronian relations was sitting outside with her laptop squinting at some article and scribbling on a notepad. Now that elections were getting ever closer she was constantly watching what was going on and looking for ways to encourage the presidential candidates to be Cybertronian supporters. "I was wonder if I could speak to you for a moment," he said and Ale nodded, putting the laptop aside. "I have been considering our planet and think that perhaps we could rebuild it to what it was before our war tore it apart," Optimus informed the young woman, unsure of what she would say.

Ale's expression was thoughtful as she considered her options. It would be cruel to refuse to consider this angle but she also knew that the Autobots would want to come back from time to time to visit their human friends or help them if they were in need. That would require careful negotiation of a treaty which was at least three month's work, maybe more. "When would you be planning on departing?" she asked, trying to calculate everything in her mind.

"Probably in four months because it would take time to construct a ship that would take us home," Optimus explained.

"That should be enough time for me to make the proper arrangements," Ale said, already reaching for her cell phone.

"What arrangements?" the Autobot leader asked curiously.

"I'm assuming you are planning on coming back from time to time so some sort of official alliance documentation which could take a couple months," Ale said. "Are you sure about this?"

"I am sure but I haven't spoken to the others," Optimus said.

"Let me know definitely in the next day or so," Ale ordered, pulling her laptop back onto her lap. Optimus shook his head and went off to find Starscream.

He was lucky. The Decepticon leader had just landed on a lonely cliff on the island when Optimus arrived. "Did you need something?" the Seeker asked, curiosity flickering in his optics. It was times like these that Optimus was reminded that Starscream was younger than him and less experienced.

"I wanted to know if you had considered going home," Optimus said, trying to word his sentence carefully.

"Yes," the Seeker admitted.

"I have spoken to Ale about it and she agrees that it would be possible to arrange a treaty that would allow us to return from time to time if we wish," Optimus told the Decepticon leader.

"Very clever of her," Starscream commented.

"So we are agreed?" Optimus asked. "We will speak to our respective groups about returning to Cybertron?"

"We are," Starscream said and with a slight nod of his head he took off into the sky again. Optimus turned and headed back to the Autobot meeting hanger, comming the others and telling them to meet him there. The assembled Autobots studied him, trying to decide what this meeting was about.

"Fellow Autobots," the last Prime began. "I have called you here today because of an idea. Starscream and I have both spoken and come to the conclusion that Cybertron could be salvaged. We plan to return there in four months and attempt to save our planet. To come with us or not is your choice. I cannot assure that there will be an in between. Sometimes in these things there may be no middle ground. You may have to decide whether to come with us or remain on Earth forever." Optimus could have continued on but he stopped there because of what he saw. Yes there was sadness but for the first time in a long time he saw something else they hadn't been able to keep. Hope.


	7. Careful Consideration

Author's Note: Well I'll admit that this chapter satisfies my need to right a sweet Ratchet/Shadow chapter. Thanks to _Riptide2_ for reviewing the last chapter! Enjoy and I own nothing but my OCs

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><p><strong>What It Takes To Live- Careful Consideration<strong>

_"Last night I lay in bed looking up at the stars in the sky and I thought to myself, Where the heck is the ceiling?"_

Shadow stood, staring into the growing storm clouds that clouded together like dark colored sheep on the horizon. Nova and Sunstorm were both deep in recharge so she finally had a few moments of peace and quiet all to her own. A smile curved on her faceplates when Ratchet slipped his arms around her waist. "What do you think about the idea?" her sparkmate asked as she sighed softly and leaned back against him, relaxing in his hold.

"Returning to Cybertron?" she asked and a wave of agreement wash to her through their bond. "I don't know," she said. "On one hand it would be great but we have no idea what the planet will be like and we'll be leaving friends behind. Especially you Autobots." The idea that her sparkmate would be hurt by leaving tempered any excitement she felt about the possibility of returning home after so long of being away from it.

"What was it like when you left?" Ratchet asked and Shadow closed her optics for a moment, considering the landscape that still haunted her mind some days. The landscape that she had left behind when she and her fellow Decepticons had heeded Megatron's call to come to Earth.

"A mess," she said heavily. "You Autobots were winning but it was still a mess. There wasn't much to go back to."

"Could we survive there though?" he asked and Shadow heard the raw longing in the medic's voice. It was obvious that he wanted to return as much as she did but was wary about approaching the subject of rebuilding or even living on their old home.

"Perhaps," she said heavily. "Interra and Neiva or even Skysong could tell you better than I can." Thunder rumbled in the distance and the wind picked up, lashing over her sleek frame and cooling her gradually. "We've lost so much," she said softly. "It'll be hard to go back."

"That it will," Ratchet replied. "But we've gained much as well. Never forget that."

"How could I," she said, turning in his arms so she was facing him. "When the evidence is right in front of me the whole time." She saw him smile and felt a wave of warmth come across the bond at the same time she heard the lash of rain in the distance. "I love you," she said softly, knowing he would hear her even over the growing noise of the storm.

"I love you too," he replied, pulling her closer to him as the rain reached them finally. She leaned against his chest with a sigh as the rain lashed around the outside of the hanger. For the moment she was at peace, simply glad to be in the presence of her sparkmate. Then Nova whimpered and they both felt a slight tug through the bond that was accompanied by her fear and the moment was broken. They slipped back into the small hanger that was both the med bay and their current residence, Shadow picking up Nova and cradling her oldest sparkling to her chest.

Lightning flashed outside and Nova squeaked, terrified optics flashing between her two creators. Ratchet was across the room in two strides to wrap his arms around both of them as the thunder rumbled. Nova cooed contentedly and snuggled against her two creators, content to be sheltered from the storm between them. Shadow smiled at her sparkmate as Nova drifted off to sleep and Sunstorm slept on, oblivious to the storm around them.


	8. Love and Decisions

Author's Note: Sorry for not updating in a long time! Thanks to _Riptide2_ for reviewing the last chapter! I own nothing but my OCs

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><p><strong>What It Takes To Live- Love and Decisions<strong>

_"Love is like war; easy to begin but very hard to stop"- H. L. Mencken_

Ratchet came out of recharger with his arms wrapped around Shadow. Anymore that was an unusual occurrence. With both Nova and Sunstorm to care for it was difficult for both of them to keep a full night's recharge. A message flashed across the medic's vision and he sighed as he opened it, recognizing from the tag that it was from Optimus. What he saw stunned him.

_To all Autobots;_

_Starscream and I have spoken and decided to attempt to return to Cybertron._

_I will need all those who intend to come with us as well as those who intend to stay to message both of us by the end of this day. By tomorrow morning those of you coming to Cybertron will be assigned tasks to help us prepare and those of you staying will receive instructions on how you should proceed with your life on Earth._

_This decision is completely up to each of you and there will be no judgment passed on you no matter what you decide. Also I am to inform you that if you wish to return to Cybertron/ come back to Earth later on the treaty we have no will continue._

_Respectfully yours,_

_Optimus Prime_

"What is it?" Shadow's voice brought him out of his astonishment.

"Have you checked your messages?" Ratchet asked in response.

"Yes and I have one from Starscream but I figured it could wait for a few moments," Shadow replied, twisting in his arms so she could glance at his face. "What is it?"

"Check your message and I think you'll understand," Ratchet replied. Shadow opened her message and began to read silently. Taking in everything the message said,

_Fellow Decepticons;_

_As you have probably already heard through rumors from the Autobot side Optimus and I have spoken about returning to Cybertron. Optimus has taken this one step further and spoken to Ale Castaneda about us leaving. The decision was made last night that we would attempt this and we are now preparing to finalize plans._

_If you plan to return to Cybertron with us or if you are planning to stay it is up to you and you will not be judged for the choice. If you are Skywarp and think it will be funny to reply pretending to be other mechs and femmes __**DO NOT**__. Your choice must be sent to me by the end of the day today and you will receive your task the following morning._

_Starscream_

"That was a fast decision on their part," Shadow commented, standing slowly and stretching.

"It was but I think both are hoping to return," Ratchet said. There was a long minute of silence before Shadow addressed the elephant in the room.

"What will you do?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," the Autobot medic responded. "On one hand I would love to return to Cybertron but on the other hand that would mean leaving everything that I had built up on Earth and possibly leaving my comrades without a medic." He paused and Shadow studied him carefully. She may have been younger than her sparkmate but she was good and telling what others felt. Normally she could read her sparkmate like a open book but today his feelings were so confused that she had no idea what he was thinking. "I do know one thing though," he said. "Whatever you decide will be my choice as well."

Shadow tilted her head to one side, smiling almost shyly as she took in that statement. "I think that I would rather like to return to Cybertron, at least for a time," she said just as Nova tugged at both of them through her creator bond.

"Then I suspect we'll be returning to Cybertron," Ratchet said with a gentle smile before they turned and both prepared for their day.


	9. Of Cybertron and Decisions

Author's Note: Thanks to _I am Blueberry_ (I just couldn't resist putting in a note for Skywarp in the letter!) for reviewing the last chapter! Enjoy and I own nothing but my OCs. Tune in soon (hopefully sometime this week) for the next chapter-Goodbyes

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><p><strong>What It Takes To Live-Of Cybertron and Decisions<strong>

_"I tied up an air phone for three hours. I don't speak Japanese but I think some business man told me to stick a piece of sushi where the sun don't shine."-Agent Mulder, X-Files_

While the allied Autobots and Decepticons made their decisions Cybertron stirred in its disaster as new news filtered in from a far away planet called Earth. Two Seekers bearing the Autobot sigil stood on the edge of what used to be a massive building, discussing what they had just heard. "Do you think it was a real transmission?"

"I'm not sure," the other flier replied. "I would love it to be but it doesn't seem all that likely."

"If it's a prank it's in really bad taste," the first replied, looking across the smoking landscape for any sign of impending trouble.

"You would know Jetstorm," the second replied. Jetstorm scowled but said nothing, knowing that he wouldn't win this one.

"What do we do then brother?" he asked after a moment.

"We wait," his twin replied. "And hope that it's the truth."

Meanwhile on Earth Starscream and Optimus were checking over the responses and compiliing final letters and arrangements. This was probably one of the most difficult things any of them had ever faced because even in peace they might not see each other for thousands of years. Things would happen that others would miss and each piece of life made the choices very important. It was Optimus who finished his response first, sending it out to all. They opened it carefully, unsure if they wanted to find out who had chosen what.

_To the Autobots and Our Decepticon Allies;_

_I thank you for your punctuality in responding to me and apologize for the difficult decision set before each of us. The first will be a list of all those that will return to Cybertron with me and the second is a list of what Autobots who will stay here with our allies on Earth._

_Returning To Cybertron_

_Ratchet (Nova)_

_Elita_

_Sideswipe_

_Sunstreaker_

_Jazz_

_Blaster_

_Ultra Magnus_

_Mirage_

_Bluestreak_

_and myself_

_Remaining On Earth_

_Prowl_

_Jolt_

_Ironhide_

_Chromia (Starrunner)_

_Mudflap and Skids_

_Bumblebee_

_Arcee_

_Wheeljack_

_Red Alert_

_Inferno_

_Hot Rod_

_Fireflight_

_Skydive_

_With deep respect,_

_Optimus Prime_

The Decepticon letter was sent out roughly an hour later, possible because the Decepticons were forced to decided whether they would chose to deal with prejudice in returning to Cybertron or remain with the Autobots that were staying on Earth. The choice was not one to be taken lightly so Starscream didn't pressure them for a quick decision.

_To My Fellow Decepticons and Our Autobot Allies;_

_I am deeply sorry for how difficult this decision has been for all of you and I do not resent or blame any of you for the choices you have made. Each has chosen to the best of their ability and judgment and I know you each know what is best for you._

_Those Returning To Cybertron_

_Shadow (Sunstorm)_

_Thundercracker_

_Nieva (Reverb)_

_Barricade _

_Flashfire (Wildfire)_

_Blackout_

_Scorponok_

_Jetfire_

_Soundwave &Company_

_and myself_

_Those Remaining On Earth_

_Skywarp_

_Interra_

_Nightfury_

_Stormbreaker_

_Cyclone_

_Groundhog_

_Motorhead_

_Rollerforce_

_Skysong_

_Storm Surge_

_Crossfire_

_I wish you all the best of luck in the course you chose,_

_Starscream_

And with that every mech and femme's fate was sealed with a single choice. With only three days left before departure, sooner than expected and all thanks to Ale's quick work, life would never be the same again and the Autobots and Decepticons still on Cybertron were about to have the shock of their lives.


	10. Bittersweet Goodbye

Author's Note: Thanks to _I am Blueberry_ (the parenthesis represent dependents, in other words sparklings and younglings) and _Riptide2_ (plenty I'm sure) fro reviewing the last chapter! As a side not I'm going to rework Aggressive Negotiations. I've found some problems such as consistency, etc and am planning on fixing that. It won't change anything on the plot but it will change Aggressive Negotiations slightly. The revised version is going to be posted as another story (Aggressive Negotiations:REVISED) which will be retitled Aggressive Negotiations with the old one deleted after the new one is completed. I will be messaging those that don't let me know they've read this (if you don't want to write a long sentence just put PINEAPPLE at the end of your review in in your review). Sorry for the long note and enjoy. I own nothing but my OCs

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><p><strong>What It Takes To Live-Bittersweet Goodbye<strong>

_"Promise me you'll never forget me because if I thought you would I'd never leave"-Winnie the Pooh_

Farewells over the next couple of days were bittersweet; especially among the Decepticons. The Autobots were well used to being separated over extended periods of time by now but the Decepticons were accustom to working in regular groups and now some of those friendships were going to be stretched to the limit. One in particular was Shadow and her brothers. Rarely separated, even though they had been young when the war began to gain full momentum, they were about to have thousands of miles put between them. The four spent as much time as they could spare together, trying to cement each other in their memories.

Similarly Interra and Nieva, who had never split apart even when Tavianna was still online, spent spare moments together, trying not to think of what life would be like apart. Flashfire spent every moment she could making sure Skysong knew everything she needed, realizing that even though Ground Hog was an accomplished medic they would be caring for the Autobots along with the Decepticons, with the occasional help of Jolt.

Skywarp and Thundercracker did the opposite of the other sibling groups. They avoided each other, unwilling to breech the subjects that were now going to split them apart. Still they both knew the other's reasoning and relished the bond between them for as long as they could. Skywarp was staying because of Tavianna, Too many memories lingered on Cybertron to torture him and he couldn't force himself to return to them. Thundercracker was returning because of Starscream. The new Decepticon Commander would need a bodyguard and Thundercracker had appointed himself the job, turning down Jetfire's offer to step down from second and let TC take the position. No one had been particularly surprised about TC's denial to take the SIC position.

The Autobot goodbyes, on the surface, seemed simpler but they were not. Longtime friends Ironhide and Optimus were going to be separated for the first time since the beginning of the war as well. Ironhide had elected to stay on Earth, even knowing that his leader to whom he had become a bodyguard and confidant was leaving. Chromia and Elita were also separating. The two femmes were strong friends and the separation was going to wear hard on them.

Jazz and Prowl, friends since before the war, were also leaving each other's company but they took it in stride, facing what would be their new duties with confidence. Prowl was taking charge of the Autobots on Earth and Jazz would help take over Prowl's assigned duties on Cybertron. Blaster was wary of leaving the paranoid Red Alert alone on Earth but knew that he couldn't convince the mech to change his mind and was now setting out to acquaint Red Alert better with Earth's culture.

The two days and the difficulty of leaving behind also strained the new friendship developing between Optimus and Starscream. The Autobot leader found his Decepticon counterpart on the highest end of the island the night before departure morning. Starscream had seemed restless and unusually sharp the last few days and Optimus thought it prudent to repair their friendship if possible before their journey back to Cybertron. "Do you need something?" the Seeker asked when Optimus approached.

"I was simply wondering whether everything is all right," Optimus replied. "You've been forced to make some difficult decisions since you've taken over the Decepticons."

"It was to be expected," Starscream replied with a sigh. "Still I didn't like finding out who would stay and who would leave. It feels uncomfortably like something Shockwave or Megatron would do when they were worried about dissention."

"I apologize for forcing you to do that then," Optimus said, suddenly understanding the younger leader's oppressed and downcast mood.

"It wasn't your fault. It would have been made sooner or later. Now we should probably get some rest so that we're actually alert tomorrow and they don't decide to leave without us," Starscream said, taking silently to the black sky and leaving Optimus alone with new questions on how the Decepticons had actually worked.


	11. Rough Landing

Author's Note: Thanks to _Riptide2_ (Yeah it would be) and _I am Blu__eberry_ (yeah. The last two chapters were made hard to write by that fact!) for reviewing the last chapter! Enjoy and I own nothing but my OCs

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><p><strong>What It Takes To Live- Rough Landing<strong>

_"Commissioner Gordon: What weighs six ounces, sits in a tree, and is very dangerous?_

_Robin: A sparrow with a machine gun_

_Commissioner Gordon: Yes, of course"- Batman The Movie (1966)_

Even the most tolerant of mechs or femmes was extremely glad when Cybertron came into sight. The landing was less than ideal though. They hit the ground hard with a massive jolt that sent everyone flying this way and that. "That was great," Shadow drawled as she pulled herself off the floor and then offered her hand to Nieva who she had landed on.

"Perfectly wonderful," Nieva grumbled, leaning against a wall with a huff after Shadow had pulled her to her feet. "Just the kind of entrance I wanted to make when returning home."

"We may have more of a problem," Jazz called, stepping back from a viewport. "We have Autobots standin' in full view with weapons ready in case we're enemies."

"You may as well just said Decepticons," Jetfire pointed out, pulling himself off the ground. "Sorry 'bout landing on you 'Screamer," he added with a smirk as Starscream peeled himself off the floor.

"Just try to land on Blackout next time," Starscream grumbled and Blackout sighed.

"So who's going out?" Blaster asked, glancing around the group.

"I will," Optimus said finally. "Someone needs to explain things to them before you bring the others out," he added to Starscream.

"Fine," Starscream agreed. "But I'm coming out at the first sign of other Decepticons. It wouldn't do for you to be killed in the first five minutes home."

"Ah'll come with ya boss," Jazz added, making his way through mechs and femmes still climbing to their feet to his commander. Optimus nodded and the two made their way into the side hallway that led to the exit. Jetfire, the Autobot Air Commander, greeted his leader with surprise.

"I didn't think you;d ever show up back here," he said and his twin brother nodded from his side. "Welcome back though you'll find Cybertron in worse shape than it was before."

"We can see that," Jazz commented wryly. "It's good ta see old friends in one piece though."

"I think we're lucky to be left in one piece," Jetstorm said with a slight smirk. "At least the Decepticons have laid off with the attacks lately."

"Yeah," Jetfire agreed. "Rumor has it that they're in even worse shape than we are."

"What do you mean worse shape?" Optimus asked, worried now. He had been warned that Cybertron was in bad shape but he hadn't thought it would be _this_ bad. Everything around where their ship had crash landed had been wrecked by the war with no sign of hope in sight.

"Energon is low because of the shape of the planet right now and the frequent skirmishes. Plus the Decepticons haven't had a medic for a while. We only just lost ours," Jetfire explained briskly, optics scanning for any sign of danger.

"What do ya mean lost our medic?" Jazz asked sharply, redirecting the 'Bot's attention to him.

"First Aid, Ratchet's other apprentice, has been injured for three or four cycles now. He gestalt, or what's left of it, has been crazy worried," Jetstorm said, his expression solemn, which was unusual enough for him.

"Please say you brought a medic with you," Jetfire added and both Optimus and Jazz heard the desperation in his tone.

"Yes. We brought Ratchet back with us," Optimus said calmly, his optics showing his worry. That was when those inside the ship, the ones who knew what they had been looking for, saw several shadows in the sky.

"Blitzwing maybe," Nieva suggested, holding the recharging Reverb to her chassis.

"Please no," Shadow muttered, holding Nova carefully so the young femme couldn't see what was going on. "We don't need four of him." Jetfire snickered next to Starscream and the Decepticon leader simply sighed, exasperated.

"Not likely," Starscream said calmly. "The flight patterns are two bulky and unaccustomed to what's going on. They're probably drones."

"Still we need to stop them," Thundercracker hissed. "Before someone ends up dead."

"Wait for my call," Starscream ordered and the others nodded.

"I'm staying here," Nieva added softly. "Someone has to keep Nova and Reverb grounded until we take care of the drones."

"Thank you," Shadow told her friend softly and Nieva nodded.

"Now," Starscream snapped suddenly as Shadow placed Nova carefully on the ground. They all shot around the corner and into the air as the drones closed in, more than there had originally appeared to be.

That was when they heard someone from the ground yell, "Decepticons!"

_Oh great!_


	12. First Blood

Author's Note: Sorry for the very,very long time without updating! My only excuse is I got distracted and busy. Thanks to _Riptide2_ (and the troubles only going to get worse) for reviewing the last chapter! I own nothing but my OCs

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><p><strong>What It Takes To Live-First Blood<strong>

_"Blu: I would love to go five minutes without almost getting killed! Is that too much to ask?_

_Jewel: For a bird who can't fly? Oh yeah!"-Rio_

Shadow would have thought she would have gotten used to fighting by now. Fighting had been common in the Decepticon base and during the entire course of the war. It was something she should have taken in her stride by now but she hadn't. Despite the fact that Seeker frame types were built for war she longed for peace. Still she held nothing back while she collided with one of the drones in the lead. TC was right on her tail and Starscream sliced through the air in front of her faster than any rocket the humans could produce. Jetfire pulled in an assist with Shadow and they watched together as the first drone crashed to the ground.

"One down, five more to go," Jetfire mumbled before shooting off. Shadow followed him with her typical eerie grace, counting on their Autobot allies to explain the situation. Despite their superior numbers the drones had been ill trained and were now dropping like flies. Shadow couldn't help but feel a wave of satisfaction at how smoothly the remaining Decepticon Seekers worked together as a whole and as the last drone dropped to the ground dead she couldn't help the wide grin that spread across her face.

"We are good," Jetfire said with a smirk and Shadow felt her smile widen.

"No doubt," she returned as the four of them dropped to the ground. Starscream rolled his optics skyward and let out a long suffering sigh but TC was smirking widely at the two younger Seekers' confidance.

"Shockwave won't be happy about that," one of the Autobot fliers commented, eyeing the Decepticons warily.

For a moment all the returnees could do was gape at the Aerialbot. Shadow knew there expressions held different degrees of fear and shock which would have been comical at any other time but now. Now it was as if they were waking up from a pleasant dream only to find they were still living in a nightmare. "Shockwave?" Shadow finally brought herself to ask, optics incredulous.

"Seriously Jetstorm," Jazz spoke up. "What 'ave ya been eatin'? Shockwave's offlined."

"No he isn't," Jetstorm replied with an odd look fixed on his faceplates. "He's been here since the war began and no one can manage to kill him. He's like some nightmare creature out of a legend of the Pit; always looming up out of the dark when he's least expected."

The four Decepticon Seekers exchanged glances bordering on incredulous confusion. "You must be mistaken," Starscream said carefully. "Shockwave is dead. I saw him killed."

"What if he wasn't?" TC spoke up suddenly, exchange a glance with Shadow who suddenly felt her spark sink.

"He couldn't have," she murmured, the empty denial doing nothing to stop the awful feeling of truth coiling in her.

"You really think he would have told us if he had?" TC responded archly and Shadow had the uncomfortably feeling of the truth smacking her in the face.

"So what is it you two know that you haven't told me yet?" Starscream asked. TC kept his expression blank but Shadow glanced away from Starscream's dark gaze almost guiltily before she replied.

"Shockwave may have figured out how to clone himself."


End file.
